Code Lyoko: Rookie 2 Reboot
by Peace Keeper 2014
Summary: Sequel to the hit, Code Lyoko: Rookie. Two new Warriors, Sylvia Meadows and Gwen Ford, must fight beside the Lyoko Warriors to stop Xana's evil attacks. However, during their adventures, they will unlock the secrets about Project Carthage and, most important, themselves. Experience the most dramatic, suspenseful installment of CL: Rookie, the fic that changed CL fiction forever.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The sound of cars echoed through out the streets as the lights from the sky scrappers illuminated the darkness as the sound of footsteps could be heard. Instead of light footsteps, it sounded like someone was speed marching. Instead, it was a teen age girl, sprinting through the streets of Paris. She felt the wind push against her face as she dodged person after person.

"Hey! Watch it!" an innocent man said as she rushed by. Her breathing started to get heavier as she turned around the corner to sprint towards the Embassy. She then stopped saw that it was empty and saw a pair of shadows in the main office up stairs. Her phone then rang.

"Yeah, Jeremy?" the girl asked.

"Sylvia, are you there yet?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah, I'm at the Embassy." she replied. "I just gotta get in."

"No time for a clear plan." Jeremy replied. "You need to disable the bomb and you need to stop XANA's plan."

"Alright, I'll do what I can." Sylvia said, hanging up her phone. She then decided to sneak through the windows of the building, but they were locked. She tugged on them as she grew desperate to get in. She then walked backwards and prepared herself.

"Forget it." Sylvia said to herself. "This is gonna hurt." She sprinted towards the window fearlessly. She leaped towards the window, then breaking through it. Shards of glass flew into the air as she hit the ground, grunting. She then dusted her silver jacket off as she stood straight up. She looked down at her pink shoes and cleared the shards of glass off of the surface.

"Talk about a rough landing." she said to herself. She then took out her cell phone and checked the photo of the Embassy lay out in the phone.

"Alright, lets go find that bomb." she said to herself. She then approached a door, where she can her two Kankrelats patrolling the downstairs area. She then saw an air duct that led to the same room, but was more unsuspected.

"Ah ha." she said, pushing a small table to help her climb up to the air duct. She quietly lifted the cover from the duct and slowly slipped inside. She then took out the 9mm BB gun that Jonas gave to her. She loaded it and cocked it as she crawled through the grey and dark air duct. She then peered through the other side as she saw the two Kankrelats. She then bashed the lid open, jumping down onto the floor. The two Kankrelats turned towards her and fired, missing their first shots.

"My turn." she said, firing her gun at the Kankrelats. The BB pierced the first one on the stair set, making it slide down onto the bottom of the stairs. She then turned to the other and fired, making it back flip into the wall. She rushed herself up the stairs, then standing in front of a locked door. She kicked it once. It didn't budge. She kicked it two more times. Still, it didn't budge. She took a chair from the bottom floor and started to bash the door with it, slowly loosening it. As it was at its loosest, Sylvia kicked the door open, exposing a possessed guard. His eyes had the eye of Xana and his skin was as pale as a vampire's skin. The guard, with all of his might, charged Sylvia, with knight stick in hand. Sylvia dodged to the right, dropping the chair and rolling, and then picked up the chair. She then broke it over the man's head, making him slump to the ground. Chunks of wood flew in the air as the chair snapped, the chair legs immediately breaking apart from the chair itself and the seat smashing into three different wooden pieces. She tossed the chair legs aside.

"Stay down sir…" she said, approaching a brief-case like container. She leaned over, then opened the lid, noticing a complicated bomb. Red wires and blue wires crossed each other as a timer was set for five minutes and forty-five seconds. Sylvia scratched her head as she stared at the bomb, clueless. She never felt so nervous before.

"This… can't be good." Sylvia said to herself, staring at the bomb.

Code Lyoko: Rookie 2


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: An Average Day

The sun over the school shined brightly into each student's window, shining over those who were sleeping. The birds outside sang lovely melodies of peace and harmony, like a chorus singing to their listeners in perfect harmony and tone and even rhythm. The bright green trees sat still as the wind lightly blew the leaves on those trees. The orange sun peered through Sylvia Meadows's window, shining light down onto her face. Then, as she enjoyed her slumber, the alarm clock started to play music from the local radio station. The radio played The Sub-Digital's new hit 'School's Out'. She slowly sat up as the music continued to play. Her red t-shirt she was wearing wrinkled all over and her black hair, with magenta dye linings, was messy. She then looked at the alarm clock and saw that it was time to get ready for the day. Then, a knock came at her door, catching her attention as she stretched her arms wide.

"Hey, Sylvia, are you up?" a female voice asked.

"Yeah, I'm up, Gwen." she replied, standing up, putting on her red pajama pants and opening the door. In front of her stood her friend, Gwen. She was as tall as Sylvia and did the same things she did. Her green eyes were like bowls of jell-o and her hair was dark brown, almost black. Her long hair was as long as Sylvia's except for the fact that her hair was more cleaner and neater than Sylvia's. Her blue t-shirt was as smooth as the floor and her blue pajama pants sagged onto the floor, covering the top of her feet.

"C'mon, Sylvia." she said. "Let's go."

"Alright." Sylvia replied. They walked down the dorm hallways as the others started to wake up, too. They rubbed their eyes and yawned and started to chat with each other as they met in the middle of the hallways.

"So, how did the match go last night?" Gwen asked.

"It was… alright." Sylvia replied. "Those idiots flying the helicopters really need to pay attention to those guys in the buildings. How was your match?"

"Same… but with tank noobs." Gwen said. "I can never understand them."

"You're telling me." Sylvia replied, the two laughing as they entered the bathroom, noticing Sissi Delmas brushing her teeth already. Gwen and Sylvia grabbed their tooth brushes and started to brush as Sissi spat out her water. Some of the water splashed onto Gwen, who got irritated a little.

"Hey, be careful when you spit, Sissi." Gwen said, spitting out her tooth paste.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Gwen." Sissi said sarcastically. "I'll be a little more careful next time so that I won't get water all over your precious face." Sylvia grabbed Gwen and stopped her.

"No, don't. It's not worth it." Sylvia said. "She's barely worth it when she's already beat." Sissi got irritated and stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind them.

"Man, she's pushy." Gwen said.

"You're telling me." Sylvia replied. After they finished brushing their teeth, the two dressed into their school clothes and packed up. Sylvia slid on her silver jacket that had 'BF 2' on it, which was the front logo. The '2' was filled with a red color and it was outlined in black with the letters 'BF'. She then laced her shoes on, which had pink outlines and the rest was in silver. She slid on her pink wrist band and fixed her hair. She then zipped up her back-pack and left her dorm room. She waited outside of Gwen's dorm room to wait for her. She then walked out and headed to Mrs. Hertz's science class. As the class went on, Sylvia leaned next to Gwen, who was taking notes.

"Hey, Gwen?" she whispered.

"Yeah, Sylvia?" she whispered in reply.

"Who was that guy that can help people with computer issues?"

"Jeremy Belpois." Gwen whispered back. Sylvia nodded.

"Ms. Meadows." Mrs. Hertz said, catching her attention. Mrs. Hertz looked angrily at Sylvia. "Can you repeat what I have said, Ms. Meadows?" Sylvia looked confused.

"Well, you said that the matter cannot be converted nor destroyed." Sylvia replied.

"Very good, Ms. Meadows." Mrs. Hertz replied. "I hope everybody else heard that." Then, the bell sounded, with everyone else getting up and packing up.

"Ms. Meadows, can I see you for a minute?" Mrs. Hertz asked Sylvia.

"Yes, Ma'am." Sylvia replied.

"Ms. Meadows, you are doing pretty well in my class." Mrs. Hertz said, delighted.

"I am?" Sylvia asked, surprised.

"Yes, you are." Mrs. Hertz replied. "You're in the top five students in my class and that includes Jeremy Belpois and Aelita Stones." Sylvia smiled, glad about the news.

"Well, thank you, Mrs. Hertz." Sylvia said joyfully.

"No… thank you, Ms. Meadows." Mrs. Hertz said.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Histoire D'un Ancien Combattant (A Veteran's Story)

Later that day, after school, Sylvia hopped onto her computer in her dorm room and checked the Battlefield 2 servers. She quickly typed in her favorite server's name, "Fast Guns and Play! All Welcome!". As she scanned the list of names active in the server, she did not see Gwen's name on the list. Sylvia shrugged her shoulders as she closed the server list, then exiting out of the game. She stretched her arms as she lightly yawned. She then looked outside and noticed that it was almost six. The sun was setting and the orange sunlight lit the courtyard and the rest of the school. Sylvia quickly opened her footlocker in her room and took out a small guitar case. She then closed quickly and rushed down stairs. As she turned the corner, she ran into Jim Morales, one of the teachers and supervisors at school. Sylvia fell as the case fell beside her with a thud.

"Be careful young lady." Jim said as he helped Sylvia up. "You need to slow down or you'll get hurt. Besides, where are you hurrying off to?"

"I'm going to music practice." Sylvia said. "It starts in a minute."

"Oh, then you better hustle, Ms. Meadows." Jim replied. "Get there on the double." Sylvia nodded and rushed over to the class room where English was held. Why the English room? It was the best place to be. Plus, it was easier to get to. Sylvia rushed into the room, closing the door behind her as she approached Gwen, who was sitting down and readying herself for practice.

"Hey Sylvia." Gwen said. "What happened? You look like you ran across campus."

"I was a little late. I accidentally bumped into Jim." she explained.

"Ahem." the instructor said lightly. "Can you take a seat please?" he then asked politely.

Sylvia sat down and got herself ready, taking out a guitar.

"Okay then, since everybody's ready, I'd like to introduce myself." he then said. "My name is Mr. James Hunts. You can call me James, or Mr. Hunts."

"Yes, sir." the two girls said. Sylvia's eyes then widened. She looked at Mr. Hunts' shirt and she saw that he was wearing a Purple Heart, a medal awarded to US and Coalition soldiers that were wounded in action.

"Mr. Hunts?" Sylvia asked.

"Yes, Ms. Meadows?"

"Are you wearing a Purple Heart?" she then asked. James looked down onto his shirt, looking at the medal.

"Yes, I am." James replied.

"Where did you get it?" Sylvia asked.

"I got it in my service years in the Iraq War." Hunts then said. "This ended my career, when I suffered a serious injury. But, lets get back at the lesson at hand, huh?" The two girls then nodded and started to practice what Mr. Hunts had given them. The strummed and strummed as the sun started to slowly set. The beautiful sound of the guitars playing were only noticed by the students and the teacher themselves. Then, after thirty minutes of continuous play of the piece Mr. Hunts gave, he stopped them. His cell phone was ringing as he reached inside his pocket.

"Hold on, girls." Mr. Hunts said, checking his cell phone. "I got to take this important call." The girls nodded as Mr. Hunts answered his phone and got up to exit the room.

"Hello?" he asked. "John, what is it? Is it that 'business' thing you've been talking about since a few months ago?" He closed the door behind himself, leaving the two girls in the room alone.

"So, what do you think he's talking about?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know, Gwen." Sylvia replied. "But, I wouldn't worry about it."

"I want to know how he got that injury." Gwen replied.

"Yeah, but, I don't think we want to ask him a question like that." Sylvia said as Gwen got up, staring at the picture on Mr. Hunts' desk. She picked up the photo and stared at the two soldiers in it.

"What are you doing, Gwen?" Sylvia asked.

"Looking at this photo."

"Are you nuts?" Sylvia asked, worried. "He'll come back any second."

"Look at this." Gwen said. The two stared at the man at the right of the photo, who was smiling along with Hunts, wrapping an arm around each other's backs. The tag on the right soldier's name tag said 'Rutherford' and the other one said 'Hunts'.

"These two look like they were the best of friends." Gwen said."

"We were." Hunts said, making the two girls jump. They turned around to see Hunts smile lightly. "In 2003, this photo was taken. We were in the same squad together. We were in the same patrol together. We were in the same unit. Together."

"What happened?" Gwen asked lightly. Mr. Hunts took a deep breath.

"One day, were patrolling down the streets of an Iraqi city, keeping an eye out for any Al-Qaeda targets. As we were about to finish our patrol, they jumped us and destroyed our Humvee. They killed one man and took everyone else as prisoner. For the last three days, we were tortured under their captivity. Then, help came when they abandoned the building escaping with their lives. I was dragged out into an ambulance and separated from John, who was brought to another field hospital and sent home. My injuries ended my deployment in Iraq. And there was a lot of other weird crap I'd rather not talk about." Hunts told, telling them his story of war. The two girls stood their, feeling sorry for themselves.

"Don't be sorry, girls." he said, hugging them. "You did not mean to. Plus, I had to tell you one day."

"No you didn't." Sylvia said.

"But, it relieves the pain oh so much." he said, tears falling from his eyes. "It reminds me of the days before the war." He then looked up at the clock and realized that practice was over.

"Practice is over, girls." he then said, patting them on the back. "Pack up and go. Have a good night." The girls packed up and left, leaving Mr. Hunts to grieve and to remember the good times to drown out the bad.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Weird Situation

Later that day after practice, the two girls went to Sylvia's room, chatting and hanging out. The sun was barely over the horizon now, emitting whatever sun light it could as it slowly descended. The orange light was dimming and the sound of the wind and the swaying trees quickly picked up a little bit. The lights in the school turned on as the night slowly approached. Sylvia sat on her chair in front of the computer, searching something up for Gwen on Google.

"So, what are you looking for, Gwen?" Sylvia asked, waiting for Gwen to tell her what to search.

"Mark Collie's song, 'In Time'." she replied while Sylvia typed in the song name. Hundreds of links were listed down from top to bottom, probably worth about over hundred pages. She then found a music sheet for playing it on the guitar. The page was blown up to full screen and Gwen grabbed her guitar, sitting on Sylvia's seat as they switched, with Sylvia sitting on her bed.

"Do you think you'll be able to play it?" Sylvia asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Gwen replied, readying herself to play the song. She took a deep breath and played the first note, which was a strum. She waited a few seconds and sang the first part of the lyrics with a beautiful voice.

"I can hear what you're thinking." Gwen sang. "All your doubts and fears." she continued to sing and play. "If you look in my eyes, in time you'll find the reason I'm here. But, in time all things will pass away. In time, you may come back someday."

She then took another deep breath. "To live once more, or die once more. But, in time, your time will be no more." She then stopped as Sylvia sat in silence. Gwen spun around to face Sylvia, smiling.

"How was that?" Gwen asked happily.

"Gwen… that was awesome!" Sylvia said, smiling and clapping as Gwen stood up and took a bow. "Where did you learn to sing like that?"

"I've been doing it for a while." Gwen replied. "Ever since I was in the fourth grade."

"How come you didn't tell me?" Sylvia asked.

"Well, honestly, I don't know." Gwen admitted. "Well, now you know, right?"

"Yup, now I know." Sylvia replied, giggling with Gwen. Gwen sat down next to Sylvia smiling and handing the guitar to her.

"So, now what do you want to do?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know." Sylvia replied. "We've done our work, we went to practice, and we had fun. I honestly do not know."

"Maybe you can hop on Battlefield 2 and see what's up." Gwen said, trying to give Sylvia an idea what to do.

"Nah, not tonight." Sylvia replied. "After last night, I do not want to."

"Ah, I see." Gwen said. "I hate those freakin' campers on the top of those towers."

"You tell me." Sylvia replied. "They say WE are campers." The two laughed as they sat on the bed, spending time with each other. As the two girls enjoyed each other's company, the computer screen quickly turned dark. This attracted Sylvia's attention.

"What is it, Sylvia?" Gwen asked.

"How did the computer automatically turn off on it's own?" Sylvia asked in reply.

"Well, just leave it." Gwen said. "After all, we're having fun right now." As Sylvia walked closer to the computer, a red insignia appeared on screen. It glowed as Sylvia approached.

"What in the world?" Sylvia asked, reaching for the mouse. As she made contact with the mouse, static electricity struck her, electrocuting her. She screamed in pain as the violent waves of electricity flowed into her. As she was about to fall unconscious, Gwen pulled her away from the computer. Sylvia fell to the floor unconscious after Gwen pulled her away.

"Sylvia?" Gwen asked, shaking Sylvia. She then laid Sylvia down onto her bed, then looking at the computer with a confused look.

"How is that possible?" Gwen asked herself. Then, Gwen decided to help Sylvia into Aelita's room for safety. Gwen held Sylvia, with Sylvia's left arm over her back, dragging Sylvia upwards to Aelita's room. Gwen knocked on the door.

"Aelita?" Gwen asked.

"Who is it?" she asked in reply.

"It's me, Gwen. Gwen Ford?" Aelita opened the door to the Gwen holding Aelita over the shoulder. Aelita gasped.

"What happened?" Aelita asked.

"Sylvia was electrocuted." Gwen replied. "Can I set her down in here?" Aelita nodded as she quickly closed the door behind them. Gwen laid Sylvia down carefully as she sat beside her unconscious friend, wiping off the sweat she received from carrying her.

"How did this happen?" Aelita asked Gwen.

"Well, the computer electrocuted her." Gwen replied.

"How?" Aelita asked.

"Well, the computer screen turned dark and Sylvia went to investigate. Some kind of logo appeared on the computer screen and, when Sylvia touched the mouse, she was electrocuted to unconsciousness." Gwen explained.

"What did the logo look like?" Aelita asked.

"It looked like an eye." Gwen replied. Aelita's eyes widened as Gwen said those words.

"Oh no." Aelita said.

"What's going on?" Gwen asked.

"I got to call Jeremy." Aelita said.

"Jeremy Belpois?" Gwen asked. "Why, what's going on here?"

"C'mon, there's not time to lose!" Aelita said, rushing Gwen. Gwen picked Sylvia back up again and left the room with Sylvia.

"This does not sound good." Gwen said as the door closed behind the three girls.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Uncovered Secrets

Gwen carried the unconscious Sylvia, running and following right behind Aelita. They sprinted through the forest as the sound of the blowing wind grew louder. The rustling of the leaves grew louder and louder as hundreds of leaves began to fall to the dirt. The moonlight illuminated some of the darkness that engulfed the forest, but other than the tiny spots and holes in the trees, it was almost as dark as a city that ran out of power for three years straight without even the slightest appearance of sunlight. As the three sprinted through the forest, evading roots that inhabited the dirt, Gwen stopped for a second, leaning against a tall tree while Sylvia slumped onto the tree. She took a few deep breaths and looked behind her. Sweat fell to the soil as she tried to recollect herself after the long run. Aelita then stopped to look behind her, noticing that Gwen had stopped almost fifty feet behind her.

"What are you doing?" she yelled. "We got to get outta here."

"Hold on." Gwen replied. "I'm not meant for serious physical activity."

"We're almost there." Aelita said in reply. "C'mon before he shows up."

"Who's he?" Gwen replied. "What are we running from?"

"No time to play Twenty Questions." Aelita said. "We should worry about getting to the abandoned factory right now."

"Forget that." Gwen said as she picked Sylvia up from the ground. Then, as Gwen turned to face the opposite way, bolts of lightning passed right by her face, missing her by only a few inches. She then looked back at Aelita, who then started to run.

"Forget this!" Gwen said, sprinting with Sylvia over her shoulder. "Wait up!" Gwen looked behind her as the bolts of lightning continued to attempt to strike, but miss. The sound of constant strikes quickly filled the sound waves and started to get even closer. Gwen then saw Aelita lift up a manhole lid and then slid it away from the hole.

"C'mon! He's coming!" Aelita said, waving her hand as she descended into the hole. Gwen then grabbed a hold onto the ladder while holding Sylvia with the other. She slowly climbed down as the manhole suddenly closed. She then jumped down onto the concrete flooring of the sewer, holding an unconscious friend in one hand.

"Look, where are we going?" a confused Gwen asked.

"We're heading to the abandoned factory." Aelita replied. "Now, lets hurry before he shows up again." Gwen nodded as she carried her beloved friend through the sewer tunnel. She followed Aelita down the tunnel as sweat fell to the floor. Gwen held her friend tight and then stopped in front of another ladder. Aelita then climbed to the top slowly and opened the manhole lid, sliding it aside. Then, Gwen followed her up the ladder. As she reached the top, Gwen fell to the floor, still holding Sylvia over her shoulder, which was sore.

"This is the factory, huh?" Gwen asked.

"Sure is." Aelita said, helping up Gwen, along with her unconscious friend.

"Alright, now lets go." Aelita then said. "There's no time to waste." Gwen nodded as she followed her into the factory. She then found herself looking down onto another floor below. She started to breath heavily as she stared down onto the floor from above.

"You've got to be kidding." Gwen said.

"C'mon, we cannot wait for anything." Aelita replied. "We have to swing. Here, I'll take Sylvia." Gwen handed over Sylvia and she watched Aelita jump for the rope, holding onto it with her left hand as she swung from side to side, quickly descending to the floor. She then landed onto her feet while Sylvia was still over her shoulder.

"Gwen, now it's your turn." she said as she stood near the elevator. Gwen swallowed as she slowly prepared herself for the jump. Then, as she was about to give up, she ran for the rope, then she jumped for it. She grabbed onto it with a tight grip and held onto the rope as she slowly descended.

"Yeehaw!" Gwen said as she swung onto the rope. As she descended over the floor, she released her grip from the rope and fell to the floor, rolling onto the floor. She then stopped onto her feet as she knelt down to the floor. She looked up to Aelita with a grin on her face.

"That was fun, huh?" Aelita asked.

"You bet ya!" Gwen replied.

"Alright, no time to play around." Aelita then said. "We have to get down to Jeremy."

"Alright." Gwen replied, with Aelita pushing the elevator button. The door slowly opened, the sight of the fully metal elevator impressing Gwen.

"Nice elevator." Gwen admired.

"Now, c'mon." Aelita said, carrying Sylvia into the elevator with Gwen following. The doors slowly closed behind the three girls as the elevator started to slowly descend.

"Gwen, are you okay?" Aelita asked Gwen. Gwen turned to face Aelita.

"I'm fine." Gwen replied. "What are we doing here?"

"You'll see." Aelita replied. Then, as the elevator stopped, the doors slowly opened, with blue light entering the metallic elevator. The girls then got off the elevator, walking into the control room below the factory. The metallic flooring covered the entire floor and even the walls were metallic and wires of all sizes were above their heads. In the center was a gigantic virtual globe of some kind of world. What sat in front of the gigantic virtual globe was a set of over five computer screens, a chair, and an entire interface. Someone was sitting on the seat, typing on the computer.

"Jeremy?" Aelita said. "We're here."

"Wait, we?" Jeremy asked in reply. "I must be having some weird déjà vu or something'."

"Well, we have two new girls with us." Aelita said. The kid turned around in his seat and turned to face the three girls.

"Who are they and is that girl unconscious?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah. The unconscious girl's name is Sylvia Meadows." Aelita said.

"Then, who' s she?" Jeremy asked.

"My name is Gwen. Gwen Ford." Gwen replied.

"Hey, you guys are in the same science class as us." Jeremy replied. "Weird."

"Anyways, Aelita, go join Yumi and Ulrich in Lyoko." Jeremy then said. "We need you to shut down that tower."

"What about me and Sylvia?" Gwen asked.

"You can stay here and try to wake your friend up." Jeremy said. As Gwen sat Sylvia down, Jeremy handed her his water bottle that was full of ice. "Here, this will wake her up." he said. Gwen grabbed the water bottle and poured water over Sylvia's head. As she did, Sylvia started to wake up, breathing as she awoke from unconsciousness.

"Whoa!" Sylvia said. "What's going on?" She looked around in confusion as Gwen sat in front of her. "Where are we?"

"We're at an abandoned factory." Gwen said. "No, this is not a dream. And yes, we dumped water on you."

"What are we doing here?" Sylvia asked.

"It's for our safety." Gwen said. "We were attacked."

"By who or what?"

"I don't know." Gwen replied. The two girls then turned to Jeremy.

"Jeremy Belpois, right?" Sylvia asked.

"Yes." Jeremy replied. "What can I help you with?"

"Well, can you tell us what's happening here?" Sylvia asked in reply. "Cause me and Gwen both know that this is not a dream."

"Look, it'll take a while to explain and, possibly, you won't believe me or my friends." Jeremy said.

"Look, we'll believe you because we're here. Why won't we believe you if we're already in a place that exist." Sylvia pointed out. Jeremy thought about what Sylvia had said. He stared at the computer screen and then looked back at the two girls.

"Alright, I'll tell ya." Jeremy replied. "Just give me a sec to virtualize Aelita."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Return Trip

The two girls sat down in interest, listening to Jeremy's explanation. His attention to detail in telling the girls was admirable and every single detail had sunk into the girls' minds. It even had been stuck into their minds. It's been dug in so deep, that the very thought of what was going on made complete and total sense in a way that only the ones who know can understand.

"So, a supercomputer, huh?" Gwen asked.

"Yup. A supercomputer." Jeremy said.

"And, a virtual world?" Sylvia asked. Jeremy nodded in reply. The girls were astonished. But, what did not astonish them was that an evil computer program, XANA, tried to kill them and is still trying to.

"So, how do we stop him?" Sylvia asked.

"Well, it will take a while to find out how, but, we have to fight on until we can find that answer." Jeremy replied. "It's worth the risk." The two girls nodded in reply, understanding his and the group's decision to stop him once and for all. Then, as the three of them hid down under the factory, Jeremy spotted someone on one of his security cameras.

"Oh boy." Jeremy said. "This isn't good."

"What's wrong?" Sylvia asked, looking over Jeremy's shoulder and looking at the screen. She then noticed a shady figure slowly walking into the factory.

"It's XANA." Jeremy said.

"That's him?" Sylvia asked. Gwen joined Sylvia in hovering over Jeremy.

"Well, technically, yes. But, also no." Jeremy said.

"What does that mean?" Gwen asked.

"It means that he possessed someone. He's using that person to stop us." Jeremy explained. He then looked at Sylvia.

"So, can we help?" Sylvia asked. Jeremy looked at Sylvia, was staring him straight in the eyes. 'I'm going to regret this,' Jeremy thought. He then took a deep breath and looked at Gwen.

"Alright, you guys can help." Jeremy replied. "Just be careful you two. Don't let him in." The two girls nodded and reply and ran for the elevator. The two girls stood shoulder to shoulder, with Gwen pressing the elevator button. The doors slowly closed as the elevator started to ascend. The two girls then looked at each other.

"What if we don't make it?" Gwen asked. Sylvia looked into Gwen's eyes and held her hand.

"It's gonna be fine, Gwen." Sylvia said. "We're gonna stop him from getting in."

"With what?" Gwen abruptly asked.

"Well, with whatever we can find." Sylvia said. As the two looked forward, the elevator doors slowly opened, illuminating the inside of the elevator with white light. It was from a hanging lamp that hung over the entrance. The two girls stepped out as the elevator doors behind them slowly closed. The two girls then faced a lone class mate, who's eyes had the insignia that appeared on Sylvia's computer screen back at her dorm room.

"This does NOT pleasant." Sylvia said. Gwen nodded as the two prepared themselves.

"So, what do we do?" Gwen asked nervously. Sylvia looked to Gwen.

"We fight." Sylvia simply said. Then, as Sylvia turned to face the class mate, Gwen made a run for a pile of steel rods, laying in one of the corners of the huge space. She grabbed two rods, one for her and one for Sylvia. Gwen tossed Sylvia a rod and kept the other. The two grinned as the possessed student advanced. Then, as he came closer, he raised his hand and, like the force, pulled one from the pile. It levitated in mid-air as it floated towards the possessed student. He grabbed it and prepared himself, waiting for the two to make their move.

"Don't charge." Sylvia said. "Wait on my mark." She swallowed as she prepared herself. She could feel her heart pound as she prepared to count down silently. She felt her stomach twist as nervousness built up inside her.

"One.… two.…. three!" Sylvia said, charging at the student. Gwen was behind her, guarding her rear flank. Sylvia raised her steel rod and struck the possessed student. The student blocked her attack and tried to strike her. Sylvia dodged the underhand strike as she brought her rod up. Then, the XANA-possessed student sent electricity running through his steel rod, making it like a shock stick.

"Oh, shiny." Sylvia said, grinning. Then, as Sylvia was about to make her move, Gwen charged the possessed student. She raised her steel rod into the air, about to strike XANA with a high strike. Then, as she was about to bring her rod down onto XANA, he smashed his rod into Gwen's left side, striking her down. She rolled twice and laid on her back, unconscious. Her hair partially covered her face as she laid motionless on the floor.

"NOOOO!" Sylvia shouted. XANA looked back at Sylvia with his mouth gaping open.

XANA quickly brought up his steel rod to block Sylvia's first strike. Strike after strike XANA blocked. But, after each strike, he struggled to keep up with Sylvia's sheer brutality in her strikes. She then tripped XANA, stretching her leg behind his and tripping him. Then, XANA continued to block her attacks. He held his steel rod with only one hand and struggled with the strikes she delivered. Then, as Sylvia was about to strike XANA again, she saw XANA stretch his hand onto her ankle and delivered electricity into her body. She screamed as she was being continuously electrocuted. She dropped the steel rod she held, which landed with a sharp ringing and a thud. She clutched her stomach as she struggled to break free of his grip. Gwen then sat herself up, watching her best friend being electrocuted by XANA. She growled and shouted as she charged the possessed student. She stretched her foot back and kicked XANA right in the head, knocking him out. XANA's hand slipped from Sylvia's ankle. As he released her ankle, she fell to the floor.

"Sylvia!" Gwen said as she knelt down to her, holding her. "C'mon, not again!" She then looked at the unconscious XANA, who's electric steel rod vaporized from the electricity. Gwen started to cry on Sylvia's shoulder as she held Sylvia.

"Sylvia, please don't go." Gwen said. "Please don't. You're my only friend. You're like a sister to me." She cried on her shoulder as the sound of the breeze found its way into the factory. Then, as she was crying, she saw a bright white light approaching her slowly.

"What the heck?" Gwen asked herself as she wiped her face on her arm. She still held Sylvia, but looked into the white light. Then, it started to approach even faster. She then held Sylvia in her arms as the light started to engulf the factory. Then, everything, for everyone, suddenly went white. Then, for some mysterious reason, both of them found themselves back at Mrs. Hertz's class room. It was Science Class.

"What the heck?" Sylvia asked herself. She then turned to Gwen, who asked the same thing. "I thought we were back at an abandoned factory." Mrs. Hertz cleared her throat, catching the two girls' attention.

"Excuse me, you two, what are you doing?" Mrs. Hertz asked, her face turning her once present partial smile into a partial frown.

"I'm just asking her when's practice for guitar today." Sylvia told Mrs. Hertz.

"Well then, I'd like for you two to talk about this after class, understand?" Mrs. Hertz asked. The two girls nodded and continued to jot down notes until class was over. After class, they rushed to Aelita's room to ask her about the events they experienced. Sylvia knocked on her door, waiting for her to answer.

"Yes, Sylvia?" Aelita asked.

"We need to talk now." Sylvia told Aelita. "It's important."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Answers and Mysteries

Gwen and Sylvia entered Aelita's room, standing in front of the door after Aelita closed it behind them. Aelita sat on her bed, looking up to the two girls standing in front of her, then leaning against the wall. Sylvia took a deep breathe and looked out the window, staring into the bright, blue sky that had fluffy white clouds scattered all over. Inside the rooms were posters of different music groups. The room was neat, organized, and well lit. Sylvia then looked at Aelita and swallowed.

"Aelita, what happened?" Sylvia asked. Aelita looked out the window, like Sylvia did.

"XANA happened." Aelita replied. "He attacked us."

"Why did he attack me first?" Sylvia asked in reply. "What did I ever do to him?"

"I don't know." Aelita said. "I think it's a new strategy. But, I don't know for sure." Sylvia then scratched her head, still a bit confused.

"What was that light I saw?" Gwen asked. "That bright white light?"

"That was the sphere. A Return to the Past sphere." Aelita replied.

"Return to the Past?" Gwen asked in reply.

"Yes, it turns back time so that the attack never happened." Aelita explained. "But, here's what puzzles me. You remember everything that happened. Nobody is supposed to remember except me and the rest of the group."

"Nobody?" Sylvia asked.

"Nobody." Aelita answered. "You weren't even virtualized. But, I know one person who has the same case as you."

"Really?" Gwen asked. "Who is it?"

"It's Jonas Rutherford." Aelita said. "He remembered everything that happened to him. He's even in the group." Sylvia sat next to Aelita and looked at her. Then, as Sylvia looked at Aelita, Aelita felt something. She felt something in her head. She felt like something coming to memory. But, it wasn't a memory at all. It was a feeling. She felt her hand tingle a bit.

"Whoa." she said, standing up.

"What's wrong?" Sylvia asked Aelita, confused.

"When you sat down next to me, it made my hand tingle and it made my head feel a little… weird." Aelita explained. Sylvia's facial expression changed from a still face to a confused expression. She was as confused as Gwen. Aelita then looked to Gwen with the same feeling.

"What's going on, Aelita?" Sylvia asked.

"I don't know." Aelita replied. Gwen then looked to Sylvia and Sylvia looked to Aelita. Sylvia took another deep breathe and looked to Gwen.

"Things are getting weirder and weirder." Sylvia said. Gwen nodded.

"You got that right." Gwen replied. "We have to get answers. All three of us." Aelita nodded in reply and so did Sylvia.

"Alright, so who do we ask?" Aelita asked.

"Maybe Belpois can answer us." Sylvia suggested. Gwen nodded in reply.

"Maybe he knows." Gwen said. Then, Aelita opened the door, letting the two girls out first with the feeling that she felt earlier. They walked through the halls, staying together in one group. They then knocked on Jeremy's door in the boys dorm halls. Jeremy opened the door, surprised to see both Gwen and Sylvia with Aelita.

"Hey, girls, what's this about?" Jeremy asked.

"It's about that… attack." Sylvia said.

"You… you remember?" Jeremy asked, confused. "I though the Return to the Past would've worked on you two."

"Well, it seems like it didn't and we have something to ask you about." Sylvia said in reply.

"You mean, to answer why you didn't forget about that attack?" Jeremy asked.

"That and… something else." Sylvia replied.

"Well, c'mon in." Jeremy said, letting the three girls inside his room. The room, like Aelita's was well lit, had posters of science stuff, like Albert Einstein, and even had his own computer, just like Sylvia. Jeremy sat in his computer seat and the three girls took a seat on Jeremy's bed.

"So, what's the issue?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, Aelita should tell you." Sylvia said. "Go ahead, tell him."

"Well, Jeremy, I had this feeling…"

"What kind of feeling?" Jeremy asked.

"When Sylvia sat next to me, I felt this weird tingling in my hand and I felt a little light headed as well." Aelita explained. Jeremy's eyes opened as he heard her explain what she felt. "Even when I got near Gwen, it happened." Jeremy rubbed the back of his head.

"I better do some research on this." Jeremy replied. "It might be some kind of reaction."

"What kind of reaction?" Sylvia asked.

"I don't know." Jeremy replied. "That's why I should research it." The three girls looked at each other, surprised that even Jeremy did not know.

"Alright, when you find something, can you tell us?" Sylvia asked Jeremy.

"Yeah, sure." Jeremy said. "But, it's gonna be a while." The three looked at each other again, but nodding in reply.

"It's worth waiting for." Sylvia replied. "Thanks, Jeremy."

"No problem." Jeremy replied as the girls left the room, checking it online.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: It Began HereAugust 6th, 1980Project Carthage Facility, France

A woman sits still on a bed inside a lab behind a wall of metal with glass. A bright light blinds her as she stares into it, with no other choice. As she struggles to see, a group of doctors enter the room, the first doctor in carrying a metal brief case. He then sets it on a table and the rest of the team, made up of about five, circle around the almost naked woman, save for a white t-shirt with a pair of short shorts. Her brown hair covered her ears and her bangs fell in front of her face as she continued to look up into the light, ignoring the team of doctors. As the doctors chatted among themselves, the lead doctor opened the metal brief case, taking out a needle full of blue liquid. He tapped his finger against the needle, checking its strength. He then slowly approached, readying the needle and himself. Then, as he walked closer, the woman started to hear a voice.

"The day we start living a life of danger is the day we regret living." the voice said, echoing. "The world is a dangerous place... and it's our job to make a new world. A World Without Danger." The doctor looked at his collegues and readied himself.

"Wars are waged over resources and self defense and anger." the voice said again. "Humanity is in danger. And we need to escape it." The woman looked over to see the needle, then gasping. One of the doctor's held her still as the needle slowly approached.

"But, now, a place where we can escape to is now within our very grasp." the voice continued. "Our last hope is this world that we have created." Then, the needle pierced her skin, injecting what ever was in there. It felt like a shock wave was passing through her and she felt like something was reacing fast through her body. After that, she then saw a flashback. She found herself face to face with a man in a labsuit with a full beard and moustache. He was wearing glasses and looked like he was in his twenty's or thirty's. His hair was shaggy, but his lab coat was smooth.

"Mrs. Meadows, I know that you are but a young woman." the man said. "You are married to a man named Robert Meadows. You're planning to have a child or two in your family. But, you must do this, Mrs. Meadows. For your future... For our future." He then handed the woman a suit. It was blue and white and, with the stripes running along the side of the sleeves for the arms and the pant legs being blue, and the rest white.

"Stacey, you must do this." the man continued. "For me. For my daughter. For us all." Then, everything turned to white. After a few seconds of blinking, she found herself being hovered over by the same man in the flashback. He had his hands behind his back and he stood straight.

"Mrs. Meadows, are you okay?" the man asked. Stacey nodded in reply. The man then took a deep breathe.

"Do you remember who I was?" he then asked Stacey. Stacey nodded again as her head was laying on a soft, white pillow.

"Good." the man replied. "I hope the injection did not go bad. After all, those Nano-Trites would've been a little more brutal with you." He then checked his clipboard, observing some results from the injection. He smiled.

"These observations are... amazing." he said, smiling down on Stacey. "You're in stable condition and your vital signs are far from normal. They're almost super human. And, of course, you're body is operating as well as it was before. To think that new technology doesn't work the first time." He sat on the bed where Stacey was laying on and held her hand.

"Stacey, the big day is tomorrow. The first Scanner test." the man said. "I hope your ready, cause this IS the first test and anything can happen. I want you to be ready." Stacey nodded as the man stood up. Then, another doctor came through the door.

"Mr. Schaeffer?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, Dr. Armison?" Schaeffer asked in reply.

"You have to see this." the doctor said.

"Alright, I'll be there in a few." Schaeffer replied. "Take some rest. I'll have to go back to work on the project. But, get some rest and be ready tomorrow." He then left the room in a hurry, leaving Stacey alone to rest on the bed. She then slowly closed her eyes, going into a deep sleep.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: First TestAugust 7th, 1980Project Carthage Facility- FranceFirst Scanner Test

Stacey stood in front of a metal tube that emitted yellow light. The metal exterior glimmered in the room's light as the light from the inside shined out into the room, where Stacey stood dressed in the white uniform that Waldo had gave her. She was nervous, since this was the first scanner test ever. No body knew if it was going to be a complete and utter failure or an exciting success. Not even Waldo knew. He walked up and grabbed her left shoulder with a mild smile on his bearded face.

"Stacey, I know you're nervous." Waldo said. "But, you shouldn't be. I know you're gonna be okay." Stacey turned around and looked back at Waldo, with a smile still on his face.

"Thank you." Stacey said, hugging Waldo. Waldo hugged her back in front of the scanner. Then, someone dressed in a green US military outfit walked into the room, his hair a mild grey and he had a five o'clock shadow. He walked up to Waldo with a clipboard in his hand and tapped him on the back.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Waldo." the man said.

"No, you're not." Waldo said, releasing his hug. He dusted his lab coat off and took off his glasses, then rubbing his eyes and turned to face the man. "What is it, Richard?"

"Well, security has been increased around this perimeter." Richard said. "And, I have some of the reports you asked for last night." As he handed Waldo the clipboard, Stacey looked down at the nametag that was on the pocket on his jacket's left side on the chest part. It said 'Rutherford' and then she looked at his right arm patch. It was gold with a black slash running diagonally and a horse's head to the top right.

"You served in Vietnam?" Stacey asked. Richard looked up at Stacey.

"As a matter of fact, I did." Richard replied. "I met Waldo after the war and he helped me out." Stacey nodded. Then, Waldo made himself cut into the conversation.

"Well, these reports are remarkable." Waldo said. "I didn't even see this coming." Richard smiled.

"Well, I didn't either and I'm not a doctor nor a scientist." Richard and Waldo laughed and hugged.

"Well, how's your son, Jonathan?" Waldo asked.

"He's perfectly fine." Richard replied. "He's growing up real fast."

"That's good to hear, Richard." Waldo said. "But, now lets get this test over with." Stacey nodded and slowly walked towards the scanner tube, the light shining toward her eyes. She blinked as she got closer to the scanner, then slowly stepping in. She took a deep breath and stepped into the scanner. She turned around to face Waldo and Richard, who were watching her. She closed her eyes tightly as instructed before.

"Alright, Armison!" Waldo said as he looked at his clipboard. "Hit it!" The scanner doors closed and it sealed tightly with Stacey inside. Then, as it seemed like nothing worked, a ray of some sort glided up and down across her body, scanning her. The light slowly moved up and down. Then, it stopped suddenly. Then, as she thought it was just a bio scanner, heavy winds blew her hair into the air. It was like a huge fan was under her, blowing air upwards. Her hair flew everywhere. She then opened her eyes again and found herself falling onto an icy surface. She fell on her chest as she felt the cold ice.

"What the heck?" Stacey asked herself. She looked around herself and scanned the area round her. It was full of ice and icy rocks and cliffs.

"Oh joy, it worked!" Waldo said into a microphone connected to a headset. He was looked at the monitors back in the real world, observing Stacey's conditions.

"Where am I?" Stacey asked.

"Welcome to The World Without Danger." Waldo said.

"How come it's just a lot of ice?" Stacey asked, surprised.

"Well, it's not just ice." Waldo said, chuckling. "There's a lot more than ice in the world you're in." Then, as Stacey chuckled as well, she felt a tingling in her right arm and hand.

"Why does my right arm feel tingly?" Stacey asked.

"I don't know." Waldo replied. "Try to stretch it out." Stacey did as Waldo suggested, stretching her arms out. As she stretched it out forward, some kind of blue energy started to form at her fingertips. It started to hum as she let it point forward.

"Uh, what's going on?" Stacey asked. Then, as it got bigger, it released and shot forward. It impacted against an icy rock. As it impacted, it blew the rock to icy pieces, scattering various pieces of all sizes all across the ground.

"Whoa." Stacey said. "That's heavy. Did you see that, Waldo?"

"Oh yeah I saw it." Waldo replied. "That was… amazing! How did you do that?"

"Uh, I just stretched my arm forward just like you suggested." Stacey explained.

"Whoa, that's just amazing." Waldo said. "I gotta research and check this out later." Stacey smiled at the smoldering pieces of rock.

"Do you think this is A World Without Danger?" Stacey asked.

"Well, I don't know." Waldo replied, taking a deep breath. "But, I will still do this for me and my daughter."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: When Rookies MeetPresent Day

Sylvia sat across Gwen in the lunch room. Sylvia played around with her food on her plate as Gwen was eating pleasantly, enjoying her lunch. Sylvia was worried about what they might have gotten into, despite the fact that they weren't even supposed to remember anything from that night. Both of them did not know what to think of the situation, except just to keep a clear head and focus on life. But, never in their lives, have things been more dangerous. Gwen looked up to see that Sylvia was in deep thought, but was also worried. Gwen decided to talk to her.

"Sylvia, you alright?" Gwen asked while drinking her chocolate milk. A tiny droplet then fell onto her Patriots' jersey. She then grabbed a napkin from her tray and wiped it off.

"I'm just worried." Sylvia replied. She then looked at the clock. "I just have a feeling something is going to happen." Gwen looked up to her.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Gwen asked, confused. "What can happen right now?"

"I… just don't know." Sylvia replied. "It's been rough that night and I'd rather not think of it right now."

"But, you are thinking about it." Gwen stated. Sylvia then looked at Gwen. She tried to think of something to tell her, but every time Sylvia tried to think of something, she would lose it when she would open her mouth. The feeling of nervousness engulfed her as the day continued. The unexpected can happen at anytime, as the group told her. But, she would lose the feeling at the end of the day, at the last period. It sucked, but for all she knew, it was worth it.

Sylvia sat next to Gwen, as always. Mrs. Hertz was slowly going over the Atomic Theory, which was complicated. The class was jotting down every single word and drew every single diagram because of the fact that next week's quiz was coming up. Sylvia did the same like Gwen and the rest of the class.

"Sylvia, how are you feeling?" Gwen whispered to Sylvia, who was still jotting down important notes.

"I'm feeling a lot better." Sylvia replied. As she was drawing a diagram that Mrs. Hertz drew, her pencil broke and a sharp pang traveled through her hand. The pencil flew out from her hand and landed on the floor right next to another student. She cleared her throat and lurched her hand towards the pencil. Then, as she got closer to it, the student next to her, across the aisle, whispered to her.

"I'll get that for ya." the student said with a polite, young, and very likeable voice. Sylvia looked up and she blushed. The boy's hair was messy, but also attractive, his face was smooth and young, his clothes were clean and green, and his eyes reminded Sylvia of chocolate. Sylvia instantly fell for the student, who was the same age as her. She stared at him for three seconds and then she shook herself out of it. She cleared her throat and sat up.

"Thank you." Sylvia said sweetly. The student picked it up and handed it over to Sylvia. Sylvia gently took it from the student's soft hands and then took out a pen.

"I didn't catch your name." Sylvia then said. Then, she looked at the patch tag that said his last name. 'Rutherford', it said. She then looked at the side patch, which had a horse's head, colored in black, a stripe that ran diagonally across the patch, which was also black, and the backdrop was gold. Then, there was a gold chevron that pointed north. It was a real military jacket that someone used, except that it was not from the modern era.

"My name's Jonas. Jonas Rutherford." the student said. Sylvia's eyes popped open as he said this. 'This is the guy Jeremy was talking about,', Sylvia thought to herself. The same guy Jeremy talked about was the guy Sylvia instantly fell for.

"Nice to meet you, Jonas." Sylvia replied. "Let me introduce myself."

"I know who you are, Sylvia Meadows." Jonas replied. Sylvia was astonished.

"How did you know?" Sylvia asked in curiosity.

"Jeremy told me." Jonas replied.

"Figures…" Gwen silently said to herself, jotting down the notes. Then, the bell rang, saving the class from further note-related torment. The class got up from their seats and started to leave the classroom. Mrs. Hertz then started to talk.

"Remember, class, next week's quiz is coming up." Mrs. Hertz said, then sitting back down to write. Everyone then started to exit the class room, talking with each other as the halls were soon filled with fellow students. Then, Gwen, Sylvia, and Jonas found themselves at the door. Jonas stepped aside to let the girls go first.

"Ladies first." Jonas said, letting Sylvia and Gwen through before him.

"Oh… thank you." Sylvia said, walking out of the classroom with Gwen walking next to her. The two then headed for Sylvia's dorm room, since school was over. The two girls entered and sat there stuff on Sylvia's bed, then trying to pass time. Gwen then sat herself on Sylvia's computer.

"I feel like blowing the crap out of stuff." Gwen said to break the silence. "Want to join?"

"No thanks." Sylvia said. "I'll let you go first." Then, as the two tried to enjoy themselves, Jeremy came into the room, with his laptop in hand. He looked at Sylvia who was looking out the window.

"Sylvia, I have some news." Jeremy said, sitting next to Sylvia. Sylvia looked at Jeremy.

"What's the news?" Sylvia asked while Jeremy was opening his laptop, then activating it.

"Well, I think you would not like this, since I doubt you guys like to take time out of your lives." Jeremy said. "But, you need training."

"Training?" Gwen asked, while she played Battlefield 2, jumping into a Humvee.

"Yes, training." Jeremy replied. "If you want to help us, then you need this." Sylvia stood up and faced Jeremy.

"So, what types of training are we looking at?" Sylvia asked, curiously. The sound of gunfire, explosions, radio chatter, and death cries paused their conversation for about five seconds. Then, Gwen looked back at the two.

"Am I interrupting?" Gwen asked. The two nodded. Then, Gwen turned down the volume on the computer. "Sorry." she said. Jeremy then continued the conversation.

"Well, you'll see." Jeremy replied. "We just need to set things up for it." Sylvia nodded and sat next to Jeremy, who was checking on the towers.

"What are those?" Sylvia asked.

"Those are towers." Jeremy answered,

"What do they do?" Sylvia then asked.

"It's hard to explain." Jeremy replied. "But, basically, it tells us if there is an attack happening and we have to deactivate the towers to stop them." Sylvia nodded, understanding the tower's importance in stopping attacks.

"So, this XANA program is sentient and evil?" Sylvia asked.

"You bet. He can do things on his own and he operates on his own." Jeremy explained.

"So, we're in this together then?" Sylvia asked.

"You bet." Jeremy said. "There's no turning back now. The world's fate and humanity's fate, rest in our hands, girls." Sylvia smiled and looked out the window once more. She then looked back at Jeremy. Jeremy took a deep breath and smiled.

"How do you like the title, 'Lyoko Warrior'?" Jeremy asked Sylvia. She giggled a little and then looked onto the floor. Then, she looked back at Jeremy one more time.

"Yeah, I like that." Sylvia said.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Love Interest

The Next Day

Sylvia and Gwen sat at the lunch table the next day, sitting right across from the rest of the group, who's table was right next to their table. Gwen started to scarf down a hero sandwich, which she had gotten from the store yesterday. It's surprising how she preserved her sandwich. Sylvia was sipping on her soup with a spoon, slowly and silently enjoying the sweet, delicious taste. The bright sun peered through the big windows of the cafeteria, shining over those who sat next to the windows at the window tables overlooking a part of the Kadic courtyard and the forest. The cafeteria was well kept, the clean tables as shiny as the silverware, the tile flooring as clean as the windows, and the rest as spotless.

Sylvia then stopped, staring at Jonas, who was laughing with the rest of the group. Sylvia smiled and sighed as she stared at the handsome boy, who wore the Vietnam War jacket worn by his grandfather. She thought that his eyes were like pools of sweet, melted chocolate. Gwen looked up to see her, still distracted.

"Sylvia, are you staring at Jonas again?" Gwen asked. There was no response. Then, Gwen waved her hand in front of Sylvia's face, trying to get her to snap out of it. "Hey, Sylvia?" She asked again, louder. Sylvia snapped out of the day dream, then shaking her head, her hair flailing all over the place.

"What? What happened?" Sylvia asked.

"You were looking at Sergeant Handsome again." Gwen said. Sylvia smiled.

"Well, he is handsome." Sylvia replied.

"Well, that may be true, but you're looking at him like he's John Basilone." Gwen remarked sharply. Sylvia giggled.

"He may not be John Basilone to you, but to me, he is John Basilone." Sylvia replied. "Why are you so worried, Gwen?"

"Well, because you're distracted by him and you barely notice me at some points." Gwen stated.

"Well, I'm sorry if that happened at times." Sylvia told Gwen. "I really am. I'll try to not ignore you anymore when I get… distracted."

"That's good." Gwen said. "May be we can obliterate some more guys online after school."

"Sounds good." Sylvia replied. "But, I have to meet with Jeremy at the factory."

"Is it about your Lyoko form?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, it is." Sylvia said. "I have to get myself uploaded. You have to do it tomorrow, too."

"Alright, I'll be there tomorrow." Gwen said. Then, as the two began eating again, Sissi showed up in front of their table, this time with Nicholas and Herb behind her back. Nicholas and Herb always accompany her, like assistants to a movie star. Herb was the geek, with round glasses helping him see, acne all over his face, a geeky voice, a green long sleeve, and enough smarts to be in the top ten smart students. Unfortunately, he did not make for being with Sissi. Then, there was Nicholas, the slightly overweight dumb kid. He's dumb, but not dumb enough to become Frankenstein. Nicholas was more of a hard core gamer, sneaking in his portable into class when he can. His shirt can barely hide his gut and he always wore shorts. The kid was Lenny from 'Of Men and Mice'.

"Oh, look what we have here." Sissi taunts. "It's the Twit Sisters."

"Don't push it." Sylvia said, angered.

"You can't tell me what to do, twit." she taunted again. "After all, I don't think Soldier Boy over there will fall for you." Sylvia now grew more irritated. She clutched her fist even tighter, staring at Sissi, stone faced.

"Sissi, just go away." Gwen told Sissi. "I don't think you wanna be flying high in the sky."

"Fine, I'll leave you two numb skulls alone." Sissi said. "C'mon guys, let's go." She stormed off with her two sidekicks, leaving an angry Sylvia alone with Gwen.

"Man, I hate that chick." Sylvia told Gwen.

"Who doesn't?" Gwen asked in reply. "She's like a life size Bratz doll, except with a lot more attitude and no good looks."

"You got that right." Sylvia replied. She then turned to Jonas, then getting up and putting away his tray. He then returned to the table to sit down with the others, chatting, joking, laughing. Sylvia's fist then faded away. She calmed herself down as Jonas's cute smile took over her. She smiled.

"Hey, Sylvia, may be later you can… you know, ask him out." Gwen told Sylvia. Sylvia smiled even more.

"Yeah, may be I can." Sylvia replied, then falling into a deep day dream, staring at Jonas. She saw something nobody else did. She saw a brave, handsome, Prince Charming type of guy. His smile literally lit up the cafeteria for her, blinding her with what she calls 'The Brightest Sun'. Gwen rolled her eyes as she continued to eat, ignoring the fact that Jonas was diverting Sylvia's attention to him instead of to her. She then snapped herself out of it and then began finishing her meal.


End file.
